After End of Days
by Nadahlia K
Summary: The Hellmouth is destroyed and the First Evil has been weakened. Looks like a good time for a new evil to try and take control. Buffy must juggle her new responsibility to train the recently empowered Slayers and work to save the world... again. Revised
1. Chapter 1

After End of Days

**Disclaimer:** I think it's obvious that I don't own anything from the Buffyverse, but I guess I'll make that more clear by actually saying it. I don't own anything. Really, I don't

**Chapter 1: Calm Before The Storm**

Buffy wakes up as the alarm clock on her bedside table rings, violently vibrating and twitching forward. Buffy reaches out an arm and catches the alarm as it falls off the table. Standing up, she yawns and stretches her arms towards the ceiling. Buffy lets her hands fall to her sides and walks out of the light blue room into a living-room like common room. On three of the four walls there are two doors equally spaced apart. The fourth wall is pushed back with a wide enough opening for a staircase and a tile landing. There is a square table with four chairs around it in the center of the room beside a couch which has a coffee table in front of it.

Buffy walks around the table and knocks on the door at a diagonal angle from her own. There are two screw holes on the door where a number plate has been previously. Buffy touches the holes before pressing her ear against the door. There is no sound coming from inside the room so Buffy knocks more loudly.

"Gimme a second." A muffled voice comes from inside the door. Buffy overhears a loud thud followed by a yelp of pain and finally the door opens. Xander, hopping on one foot, steps out of his room. "Let's get to it." Xander says in a strained, pained voice. He stops hopping and begins limping towards a large staircase which widens towards the base and spirals to the top floor.

"Are you going to wake up Dawn, you know so she can get some learning?" Xander asks as he and Buffy walk down the stairs. They reach the bottom of the stairs and head through the common room towards a double door to the left of the front door. The first floor is an open, marble room with comfortable chairs and a reception desk. The room is used for meetings and as a hang out for down time. There is a TV and various other things like a pool table.

"It's summer, Xander. No school. She does have all of that summer reading nonsense though. Remember when we were in high school. We didn't have summer reading and we can still read and talk good." Buffy pauses slightly and then pushes through the swinging double doors and finds her self in a large ballroom turned dining room with long tables and a high ceiling. The far wall is entirely made of windows which look out on the city. "I can't get over Rome. It is beautiful."

Xander steps around Buffy as she pauses to look out the window. He pushes through another swinging door and goes into the kitchen. The light from the dining room shines into the dark kitchen through a large opening in the wall above the restaurant sized stove and griddle. Xander pulls a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator and turns on the griddle. Buffy joins him in the kitchen and with a knife, slices some butter off of a stick and puts it on the griddle. The butter hisses and melts.

"Mmm, eggs. Can we have bacon too?" Buffy asks.

"Yeah, hopefully that will wake everyone up."

Buffy rummages through the refrigerator and finds bacon. She peels strips of bacon and lays them on the griddle as Xander cracks eggs and mixes them with a whisk. The bacon sizzles and the smell of cooking breakfast fills the air. Soon enough, Willow, Kennedy, and Dawn all find their way into the kitchen. "What's the big occasion?" Kennedy asks as she takes a cooked piece of bacon that is lying on a serving plate.

"No big deal. I just thought since Andrew is leaving he should have a hot breakfast." Buffy replies, as she sprinkles cheese on the eggs and scrambles them on the griddle. Xander returns from the fridge with juice and milk and sets them down. "Uh, yeah, I helped. I'm actually going to miss him…" Xander chokes up slightly, but regains composure. "Even though he's like a total nerd."

"Oh, Xander. Buffy. I am touched. You have made breakfast for me. No lembas today!" Andrew appears at the door in a bath robe and clasps his hands together in delight.

"Huh?" Buffy nearly drops her spatula as she stares at Andrew.

"Well, not really lembas. Just cereal and pop tarts."

"Once more with the… huh?"

"You know the nutritious Elfish bread? I actually got a recipe off the internet and made some. It didn't turn out very well. It went almost as badly as those damn funnel cakes." Andrew trails off muttering about his funnel cake mishaps.

"Are you guys really talking about Lord of the Rings?" A teenaged girl with straight black hair asks as she enters the room with a t-shirt and pajama pants on. She gives Andrew and Buffy a curious look and picks the juice up off of the counter.

"Navi, my dear, I'll have you know the Lord of the Rings trilogy was a great achievement." Andrew tells the girl as she takes a glass out of the cabinet. Navi rolls her eyes with a smile.

"Are the others coming down?" Buffy asks as the conversation dies down.

"Yeah. Abby can't find her present--", Navi pauses realizing that Andrew is in the room and her eyes widen. He looks at her and she panics, "President." She says lamely. "I meant president… and Dil. Is. Helping. Her…"

"_Great _cover." Dawn hisses at her with a teasing smile. Navi leaves the kitchen embarrassed and Dawn follows her into the dining room. Willow helps get plates and Kennedy grabs the silverware and napkins. They both go out of the kitchen to set up the table leaving Xander and Buffy to bring the food. When Buffy and Xander join the group at the table two other girls have joined them. An annoyed looking blonde sits down beside Dawn and Navi and a tall bi-racial girl sit beside Willow.

"My room is like a black hole. I'm so angry; I can't find anything once it goes in there. Stakes. Shoes. Ricky Martin poster. All gone." The agitated girl says in a huff.

"Ricky Martin poster? Are you sure you're not mixing up anger with joy and gratitude for your room for disposing of that poster before it drove all of your friends away…" Navi asks as she takes the plate of eggs that is being passed around the table and puts some on her plate. Dil snickers under her breath and reaches across the table to take Abby's bacon.

"Don't worry about it, Abby. I like Ricky Martin too. Livin' La Vida Loca was like my anthem. Especially when I was on the lamb in México." Andrew empathizes with Abby as he replaces the bacon Dil stole from Abby's plate with some of his own.

"I can't believe you're leaving us, Andrew." Dawn says sadly. "You have lived with us for so long it's gonna be so weird not having you around. We'll definitely keep your room for you when you want to visit, won't we?" Dawn asks Buffy.

"Yeah. When you get tired of Giles' lectures on the duty of the Watcher and history of tweed… just call us up." Buffy agrees with a small smile.

"Thanks guys. I guess I should get ready to leave." Andrew replies with a wide smile. He gets up from the table and takes his plate into the kitchen and heads upstairs to pack and get dressed.

On a hill outside of Rome, a large decrepit building stands. The building was most likely at one point a hotel. The outline of the long gone title on the front of the building spells out 'La Grande'. A car pulls up into the empty, cracking parking lot and parks. Dawn and Andrew hop out of the back seat and stand in the parking lot looking up at the endless stories of the vacant hotel. The car's engine turns off and they are followed by Giles, stepping out of the driver's seat, and Buffy.

"Why are we here, Giles?" Buffy asks, blocking the sun from her eyes with one hand and looking up at the hotel with Dawn and Andrew.

"The Watcher's Council has bought this building for you and your friends. We are going to completely renovate the space and you can move in by the end of the summer. I know you're tired of living in a two bedroom apartment." Giles replies with a smile.

Buffy's eyes widen with shock which quickly turns to excitement. "What? This whole building?"

"Yes. When Xander, Willow, and Kennedy return they are going to stay here too. This is going to be the second training facility for the newly empowered slayer and we are letting you run it. The Council in England will give preliminary training and teach them about demonology and such and you will be given the task of field training and actual battle for the advanced Slayers." Giles can hardly finish his sentence because Buffy rushes over to him and hugs him tightly. Giles is slightly window and he hugs Buffy back. Soon enough Dawn and Andrew are also participating in a group hug in the parking lot.

"This is amazing Giles. By the end of the summer we'll be living here?" Dawn asks, having missed most of the conversation. Giles nods and Dawn screams in excitement and hugs Giles more tightly. They all stand silently in a huddle until Giles breaks the silence, "You all do realize I can't breathe, don't you?" Giles chokes out.

---------

Buffy opens the front door of the hotel and walks in, followed by Xander, Willow, and Dawn. Dil, Abby, Navi, and Kennedy meet them at the door and follow Buffy to a group of couches and chairs arranged around a coffee table and television. Buffy collapses into a deep armchair and sighs audibly. "How was the trip to the airport?" Kennedy asks as she sits down beside Willow in a couch.

"It was fine. Traffic was terrible. I don't know why some countries have people drive on the left side of the road…" Xander says irritably as he reaches to move his eyepatch, but realizes that it isn't there. He looks at his hand awkwardly.

"Uh, they don't." Navi, an Italy native, replies.

"Oh. Well, I guess that's the base of my problems." Xander goes quiet as he thinks.

Buffy stands up and Xander slides into her seat. "I'm going to make lunch. Willow? Kennedy? Anyone wanna help?" Willow and Kennedy shrug and heavily pick themselves up off the couch. They disappear leaving Xander with the Slayers.

"Why do you do that?" Abby asks Xander finally after a long silence.

"What?" Xander snaps out of his thoughts and looks at Abby.

"Why do you always reach for your eye like your making sure it's still there?"

"Because I lost it once and it's still hard to believe that the new one is real."

---------

Xander turns to his right side to make sure that boards he is nailing together are even. He squints as he lifts his hammer to hit the nail and accidentally turns his head to his other side. Xander misses the nail and hits his finger, immediately drawing blood. "DAMNIT!" Xander screams in rage and pain. He throws the hammer, breaking his window, and littering glass all over the carpet. Xander stands up with his partially constructed wooden frame and smashes it over his bedside table.

Xander sits down in a fury and tears of anger flood his eye. He wipes them away and takes deep breaths to calm himself down. As he calms down, his door opens and Buffy stands in the hallway with the Immortal right behind him. Her worried expression fades to sympathy as she looks at the destroyed frame on the floor beside Xander.

"I can't even make a stupid picture frame. I can't nail four small pieces of wood together with a hammer. A small child could do this." Xander rips his eyepatch off of his face and tosses it across the room. He touches his sunken eye socket and traces the lid. Buffy rushes over to him and takes his hand away from his eye.

Buffy looks up at the Immortal looking for words to comfort Xander. She can't find any so she just squeezes his hand tightly.

"Why haven't you just gotten a transplant?" The Immortal finally speaks. He looks at Xander with a slightly superior air.

"It's not possible to reattach the optic nerve." Xander says, looking up at the Immortal with an annoyed glare.

"Not without magic."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I have a doctor and a healer who can and will make you whole again." The Immortal looks at both Buffy and Xander and smiles at the former. "You're welcome." The Immortal disappears from the doorway leaving Buffy and Xander alone.

Xander blinks his eye repeatedly, stunned. He looks over at Buffy and a genuine smile breaks out across his face for the first time in months.

---------

Xander blinks with both eyes and smiles at Abby. Navi and Dil have both gotten up and started a game of pool. Abby smiles back and stands up leaving Dawn sitting with Xander. Dawn watches Navi, Abby, and Dil play together; they laugh and talk animatedly about inside jokes that Dawn doesn't understand.

"I don't really fit with them. They have been together for over a year at the Council Headquarters and they already have this bond that I can't even touch. Plus, they have the whole Slayer thing in common." Dawn comments as she and Xander watch the game progress.

"Don't worry. You will eventually." Xander smiles encouragingly at Dawn.

Dawn returns the smile, but it falters and slips back into solemnity. She turns away from Xander and watches the Slayers interact easily. Dawn whispers to herself, "No, I won't."

---------

"Is Dil your real name?" Dawn asks. She sits opposite the three slayers. Dil, Navi, and Abby sit comfortably close to each other on a leather couch in the living room of Buffy's two bedroom apartment. Dawn sits in an armchair; she sits up rigidly. The apartment space that was already over capacity with the addition of Andrew on the couch is filled with cots for the three girls.

Dil opens her mouth and pauses before replying and Navi jumps into dying the conversation. "Her parents decided to name her Daffodil. They were seriously high at the time and she doesn't like to talk about it."

"Shut up, Navi." Dil pushes her over into Abby, who shoves Navi back into Dil.

Dawn finally runs out of questions to ask the new Slayers and stops talking. The other girls don't try to keep the conversation going and they all lapse into silence. Footsteps echo in the large room and Buffy approaches. She stops and lays her hand on the back of Dawn's chair. She smiles. "I see you are all getting to know Dawn. That's good."

"Yeah." Navi replies blandly.

"Today is your first day here so I figured we should go out on patrol and see where each of you is at. Is that okay?" Buffy asks looking from Navi and Dil to Abby.

The Slayers nod. They jump up immediately and head towards the door. Buffy turns to leave, but Dawn finally speaks. "Can I go?" She asks.

"Maybe some other time, Dawn. This is their first time and I need to focus all my attention on keeping them safe and seeing where they are developmentally." Buffy smiles at Dawn again and then walks away. Dawn sighs and sits alone in the now empty lobby.

---------

"Dawn. Dawn. DAWN!" Dawn realizes that she is staring off into space and blinks. She looks up and sees Buffy standing in front of her. "Are you going to eat?" Buffy asks, her exasperated expression hints that this isn't the first time she has asked.

"Uh, yeah." Dawn replies hesitantly and stands up. She follows Buffy into the dining room and sits down beside Navi, who is sitting beside Abby and Dil. They are already eating. Willow and Kennedy are sitting opposite the Slayers with Xander to their right. Buffy sits down at the end of the table and takes a cheeseburger off of a platter. She saves a simple hamburger for Willow.

"I think I'm finally getting the hand of this cooking thing." Buffy says with a grin.

Xander chokes down a charred bite of cheeseburger and coughs violently. "Yeah… it's great, Buff." Xander chokes out in-between coughs.

"So great that we might need to use the Heimlich at the table." Willow adds as she watches Xander to make sure he is still breathing.

"I guess we just got spoiled eating food catered by all of the chefs at the Immortal's restaurant." Kennedy says with a shrug. She picks up a few blackened French fries and chews them slowly.

---------

"You really don't have to do this for us." Buffy follows the Immortal at a brisk pace down a darkened hallway. The walls are a rich eggplant color and endless rows of burning torches cast a warm glow on the walls. The Immortal leads the way with Buffy nearly jogging to keep up.

"Nonsense. I have the means and I want to help you. You don't need the stress of moving into that new building and feeding a large group." The Immortal replies with a wave of his hand. He finally reaches the end of the hallway and enters the kitchen of his restaurant. All of the chefs and even the waiters freeze upon his arrival and turn to receive instructions. "Ms. Summers, here, needs eight servings of all of the specials tonight. She will also need them to be loaded into her car which is parked in the supply garage."

Buffy watches everyone in the kitchen immediately begin to work on this request and steps back into the hall. The Immortal follows her shortly and leads her into the large three story restaurant complete with a full bar on each floor and a stage for live music. The second two floors fill half of the space and have a glass railing which looks down on the entrance and stage of the first floor. Buffy and the Immortal take the elevator to the third floor and sit down in the VIP section on the third floor. "Would you like a drink while we wait?"

"Just water for me and thank you so much for this. Xander, Willow, Kennedy, and Faith have just gotten back from England. They were rounding up Slayers all over Europe and they just dropped them off with the Council. I also have the three Slayer trainees, Andrew, and Dawn to look after while we move our stuff into The Grand. I'm a little overwhelmed and adding cooking to patrolling, teaching, and moving is like Slayer-Soccer Mom territory." Buffy says as her water is set before her. The Immortal has a glass of wine and he sips it slowly. "I left Xander in the car." Buffy remembers.

"Take a few seconds and breathe. Calm down. You will be fine, I know it. I'm sure everything will fall into place."

---------

Buffy and Xander arrive at The Grand and carry the large platters of gourmet food through the front door. The lobby is filled with boxes and furniture is pushed into the far corner. In the kitchen, Xander and Buffy find the Slayers, Dawn, and Willow filling appliances, silverware, tableware, and food into the cabinets and refrigerator. There are no tables or chairs in the dining room so Buffy sets her food on the counter in the kitchen; Xander sets the food in his hands beside hers.

"The Immortal gave us food from his restaurant." Buffy announces to the group.

"I haven't met this boyfriend of yours, B, but I think I like him." Faith says as she appears in the kitchen and begins opening the pans and sampling them. Andrew and Kennedy quickly join them and everyone digs into the food without getting out plates. Faith hands out forks to everyone and they eat from the pans, standing around the kitchen.

"Dawn, you start school tomorrow and it's 11. Maybe you should get to bed or something." Buffy says. She looks at Dawn expecting her to whine or get angry. Dawn shrugs and with a smile walks over to Buffy and hugs her.

"I like it here." Dawn says when she lets go of Buffy.

"Me too." Buffy replies.

"Same here." Andrew adds as he takes a bite of the large piece of chicken on the end of his fork.

Dawn walks out of the room with an echo of goodnights following her. For a moment she has forgotten the distant attitude of the new Slayers and smiles to herself as she heads to her room.

---------

Faith sits on the counter as she forks pasta out of a half empty pan. "I probably won't be here for long. Giles said that I could come down here for a while and rest, but then I got to go get an assignment or whatever. I never thought I could hold down a steady job, let alone one that had me traveling across the country." Faith says to Buffy. The kitchen has slowly emptied leaving the two Slayers alone in the kitchen.

Buffy laughs. "Yeah, well I never thought I'd live this long so I'm happy to just be breathing and to finally be working at something I do well. Burger peddling and retail not so much, but training slayers and living rent free…" Buffy smiles cheerily to convey her meaning.

"I know what you mean. Expenses paid to do what we have the natural ability to do. If we were anyone else it would be minimum wage poverty."

"Yeah."

"So, you are in charge of training. I'm probably going to be sent off to do solo slayer duty. I'm not that great of a teacher…" Faith shrugs. "Maybe Cleveland."

"I almost ended up there. It's so weird not having to carry this burden alone. There is suddenly so much time and I can look to the future, you know."

"I know. Weird how things end up, huh?" Faith smiles.

"You're going to come back and visit us, right?"

"Of course."

---------

"Are you going to eat?" Willow asks as she finishes her food and sees that Buffy's plate is still full.

"I'm not that hungry anymore." Buffy picks up her plate and leaves the table. Willow looks after her as everyone else talks absently about nothing.

Buffy goes into the kitchen and cleans her plate. She leaves it in the sink and walks out of the back door to the patio. The sun is setting and Buffy looks out on the city. She walks around the pool and stands by the railing.

Inside, Dawn watches the door waiting for Buffy to reappear, but she doesn't. Dawn sighs and picks despondently at her food. Slowly, Navi, Dil, and Abby leave the table and go back to their pool table. Kennedy and Xander pick up the dishes and take them to the kitchen leaving Dawn and Willow alone at the table. Dawn drops her fork and lets Xander take the plate upon his second trip to collect plates.

"You okay, Dawny?" Willow asks, setting her elbows on the table and cupping her chin in her hands. Willow looks at Dawn anxiously across the table.

"Sure." Dawn half smiles and stands up. "I'm going to read, you know, for school. I'll see you later or tomorrow." Dawn walks out of the dining room into the lobby. She stops in the middle of the lobby staring outside at Buffy, who is leaning on the railing of the patio staring into the bright city lights. Dawn sighs and heads towards the stairs.

Willow gets up and gathers the last silverware from the table and heads into the kitchen to join Xander and Kennedy. Kennedy greets her with a smile and takes the silverware from her. Xander focuses intently on washing the dishes with his right eye closed. His left eye which is a slightly lighter color than the right twitches slightly as it follows the sponge he is cleaning with.

"Is something wrong with your eye?" Kennedy asks, noticing Xander's odd actions as well. She touches his shoulder and he looks up at her, opening his other eye.

"Yeah. I just think I see things sometimes. I don't know, but it hurts for a little while afterwards." Xander rubs his left eye gently and smiles through the pain. "Don't worry about it. It could be worse."

"Oh great. Why did you have to say that?" Willow hits Xander across the back of the head as she walks past him. "After this really long good streak, now here comes another apocalypse… thanks to you."

"You're not serious…" Xander says as both Kennedy and Willow leave the room without backward glances. "Right?" His voice becomes slightly shrill with worry.

When Xander is out of view, Kennedy pulls Willow towards her and kisses her unexpectedly. Willow is surprised, but not displeased. "What was that for?"

"Oh, I don't know. Graphic flashbacks of Brazil… unreachable dimensions." Kennedy says with a raised eyebrow.

"Best not-really-vacation ever." Willow smiles cheesily.

"Oh damn." Kennedy says catching a glimpse of the clock. "I've got to go."

"Where are you going this late?" Willow asks.

"I just need to do a little patrolling." Kennedy shrugs, "Buffy seems stressed. I just want to give her a night off."

"Oh, that's a good idea." Willow agrees.

---------

Xander joins Buffy outside and leans against the railing with her. They stand in silence for a few minutes just looking at the city lights. Xander turns to face Buffy and she smiles at him.

"It is so peaceful." Buffy says vaguely.

"Yeah, but it won't last long…" Xander replies with a glance back at the hotel, "Better enjoy it while we can because this is the calm before the storm. That's how it always works."

"I know. We'll be ready." Buffy nods confidently.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: You'll Always Be The Slayer**

"It is time. One Hellmouth has been destroyed and the First Evil has been temporarily weakened. Let all hell rise on this glorious occasion when the power has been shifted to those not of the First's thrall. Time to reclaim the glory of those imprisoned. Allow them to retake this Earth and rule as they once did. We stand on the brink of greatness and now all of the pieces are on the board. We will make the first move towards freeing the Great Ones and see if their great protector will be able to protect them with our endless forces."

A dark cave, lit only by fire light emitted from torches, is the location of a large gathering of demons and humans alike. The speaker and leader of the group, speaks loudly and his voice echoes into the endless depths. The robed leader has his hands raised as his final words are lost in a sea of applause and garbled demon growls. His face is shadowed by his hood as are the two followers standing beside him on lower, stone platform.

The crowd disperses and the applause dies down. The shadowy leader turns to his second and third in command and beckons them to follow him. The tall, robed figure turns from the two followers and leaps from the high rocks to the even plane of the cave and walks to a small group of demons, who are standing at attention, while all of the others file out of the cave.

"You understand your mission fully?" The leader's voice seems magnified in the caves and the demons cower slightly under his presence. "Do you?" His voice becomes more venomous as he repeats himself.

"Yes, Kuros." One of the demons replies as he steps forward to be addressed further.

Kuros reaches within his robes and finds a round adamantine disc. The disc reflects the dim light of the torches; the flames lick the edges of the stone. "I trust you know what to do with this. Destroy the gatekeeper and find the protector. Do nothing more."

"Yes, Nothing more."

"Remember without the gatekeeper, the key is worthless. The Great Ones will be set free when the gatekeeper is destroyed."

---------

"I miss Paris." Buffy calls breathlessly to Xander as she bends over to stake a vampire who had been knocked of his feet by a surprise attack.

Xander leans against a mausoleum wall as he sharpens one of his stakes with a Bowie knife. Despite the change of scenery, one thing remains constant, vampires and other baddies can still be found in cemeteries.

"No vampire slaying, no demon killing, no mysterious deaths…" Xander sighs nostalgically as he sets down the knife to readjust his eye patch. "It just wasn't meant to be, Buff. You're the Slayer and you'll always be The Slayer no matter how many there are out there."

"I know." Buffy wipes her dusty hands on her jeans and walks over to Xander. She leans against wall beside him. "I guess its okay though. Life would have been boring without all of the peril… and late nights… and ickyness of the Slayer life."

"Oh, yes. When I was in Africa, I kept asking myself "Where can I find some good peril around here?"" Xander smiles wittily at Buffy. She replies by punching him in the shoulder playfully.

"Hey -- It's almost 1 a.m., I think we're done for tonight." Xander says after taking a look at his watch. He pushes off of the wall and begins to walk towards the cemetery gates. "I got two this time. I think we need a board in the hotel that we can keep tally on… because I am catching up to you in kills, Buffster."

"Wait." Buffy grabs Xander by the shirt and pulls him back against the wall.

"HEY--" Xander yells in protest, but quickly shuts up when he sees what Buffy is staring at.

Across the street, a light in a church's partially below ground basement shines. The light is dimmed by shadows quickly passing by it.

"It's probably nothing…" Xander thinks out loud.

"Yeah, 'cos every time we have seen suspicious light in basements, it's always nothing." Buffy says with a small smile at Xander. She turns from him and walks towards the church, breaking into a run.

---------

At The Apartment

The second floor is occupied by Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Kennedy, and Xander. Each person has their own private apartment as a bedroom and there is a common room in the center which has assorted furniture filling it. There are three empty bedrooms on the floor which are kept open for guests like Giles or Andrew who visit frequently. The other floors of the apartment building are open for the Slayer trainees to occupy.

"It's getting late. They said that they wouldn't stay out past midnight. All this demony activity is making me nervous…" Dawn says to Willow as she crosses her arms tightly and looks out of her bedroom window for signs of Xander and Buffy's return.

Willow sits on Dawn's bed looking through files on her computer. All of the books that Giles took with him are scanned into thousands of files. None of them have been any help in understanding the sudden activity, but Buffy asked Willow to look again, to be sure.

"I think you should try to get some sleep, Dawny." Willow replies as she smiles, toothlessly, and closes her laptop. Willow stands up, grabbing the lap top and heads towards the door.

"Why, I don't have to go to school tomorrow." Dawn turns from the window to look at Willow.

"It's late. Please, try." Willow walks out of Dawn's room and into the hall. She looks back over her shoulder at Dawn before starting into the living room. "Don't be worried. Buffy has stayed alive many a night."

Willow walks down the stairs quietly and sits at the kitchen table with her laptop. There is no information. No explanation. The trail was cold and Hansel and Gretel definitely forgot to leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Willow watches the pages of ancient text scroll up the screen. She leans absently on her hand and the computer screen blends in with everything else as her vision blurs.

---------

Buffy walks down into the dark, wet basement hall closely followed by Xander. There is very little movement and the lighting is dim. Behind a partially closed door, candle light flickers.

"Let me go!" A female voice says in very clear English. The voice cuts the silence and surprises Buffy with its clarity and venom. The girl was not pleading she was threatening.

Even though the girl speaks in English, the demons seem to understand her and they respond in a series of growls.

Buffy quickly inches towards the doorway. Inside two unknowns in dark robes with Latin words on the back hold torches as two others pull a struggling girl forward. The girl is of medium height with long, wavy black hair and striking forest green eyes. She might be Italian, but she has no accent. She has an olive complexion and her build is impossible to tell because of her baggy, black clothing. A fifth robed figure that is facing the girl holds a sword engraved with names and speckled with diamonds and rubies in the hilt. Buffy looks away from the girl to examine the unknown with the sword.

"Shouldn't we…maybe, intervene now?" Xander whispers at Buffy. She holds up a hand to silence him.

The dark haired girl is leaning back away from the sword. She struggles against the pull of the unknowns. Her eyes are totally focused on the sword, but as Buffy and Xander move to enter the room the girl throws both of her captors forward and quickly dispatches the one to her right. She breaks the first's neck and forces the second forward onto the end of the sword. Buffy and Xander both enter the fight at this time and finish the other two robed figures that had dropped their torches to pursue the girl.

The girl grabs the unknown with the sword and breaks the arm he is holding it with. The unknown makes no sound even as the girl grabs the sword and runs him through.

"Are you okay?" Buffy calls as she walks towards the seemingly unscathed girl.

"She seems to be okay… more than okay. More like great with a side of shish kabob baddies." Xander says falling into step beside Buffy. He stares at the girl with a skeptical gaze.

Xander reaches towards the girl to help her step over the fallen body of the robed unknown. The girl just stares at his hand with mute interest.

"Come on. You're safe now." Xander smiles to reassure her.

"No." The girl shakes her head and kneels beside the robed figure. She grabs the sword's sheath from the corpse. The girl doesn't bother to see what is beneath the hood; she seems comfortable, almost familiar with the dead bodies.

"You know these guys?" Xander asks as he kneels to inspect another body. Blood, darker than human, drains from its wounds. "Yay, more demons." Xander says to himself.

"No."

"Is that the only word you know?" Buffy comments, agitated by the girl's inappreciative responses.

This time the girl doesn't even reply monosyllabically, she just gives Buffy a hard look and stands back up. She cleans the sword on a scrap of one of the unknown's robes and then sheaths the sword.

"Demon monks, not so original." The girl shrugs and steps past Buffy and Xander towards the door.

"Wait, come back." Buffy calls after her and sprints to catch up. Xander stands up and follows them out of the room.

"Why were those things attacking you?" Buffy inquires as she catches up.

"Don't know." The girl makes her way up the stairs and walks through the dark hallways of the church without a glance towards Buffy and Xander who are following her closely.

"You don't seem fazed. This has happened before?" Xander steps in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

The girl sighs, annoyed.

"Thanks for trying to help me, but I really don't need you two to give me the third degree."

"We are _going_ to help you. Not try. Just let us." Buffy stands beside Xander and gives the girl a determined nod.

"You two are some kind of 'Super Duo' who just helps those in danger, huh? " The girl waits for Buffy or Xander to reply, but they just stand uncomfortably. "I guess you double as the mascot, huh?" She says to Xander with a gesture towards his eyepatch.

"Thanks but, no thanks. You two don't need to stick your necks out for me." The girl pushes past the two and keeps walking. "And as you saw, I can take care of myself."

Xander looks at Buffy with a confused expression.

"Okay—what just happened?" He asks. "Did the rescuers just get blown off by their rescuee."

"Looks like." Buffy crosses her arms over her chest and frowns as she replays the scene over in her head.

"Something is going on. The surge of evil activity, Demon Monks appearing, that girl being suspiciously attacked and easily killing her attackers without a second thought… It all has to be connected." Buffy continues, looking up at Xander.

"Maybe she's one of the Slayers. You saw her strength. No normal girl could take on all of those demons." Xander suggests.

"Could be."

"I guess we should start following her then…" Xander waits for Buffy to take the lead.

"Why can't people want our help? Why do we always have to chase after them? I mean who doesn't want to be protected from probable demise?" Buffy pouts slightly and starts after the girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Vampire of Sorts**

"Wait up." A voice calls out as two pairs of feet patter quickly on the concrete sidewalk.

"I don't need you two to save me. Why can't you guys find a kitty stuck in a tree or…simply, get lives?" The girl turns to face Buffy and Xander and walks backwards.

"This is our lives. We follow people and help them…even when they don't want help… Oh, that is kind of creepy." Xander cringes and looks over at Buffy, "Maybe we should get lives, Buff."

"Xander, please try and focus." Buffy returns his look and returns her gaze to the girl.

"Go away." The girl starts walking again.

"You were attacked by Demon Monks… you killed three of them without a moment's hesitation. If you don't want us to help you at least tell us what you know." Buffy grabs the girl by her arm to stop her.

The girl yanks her arm free of Buffy's grasp. Buffy steps back in apprehension.

"Yeah, demons attacked me, that means you probably don't want to hang around for more to show up. Plus, I don't know anything. All I know is that a few months ago these monk things started coming out of nowhere and coming only for me. I have kept moving and still they come so I do what I have to. If you are around me when they come then you will get hurt."

The girl is waving the sheathed sword around in exasperation. Buffy and Xander both step back, away from it.

"You have been running from them. What about your home, family?" Buffy inquires further.

"You should stay away. They will keep coming… find someone more helpless to save." The girl ignores Buffy's question.

"No, we're not going anywhere. You need to come with us." Buffy grabs the girls arm again and this time does not let go. With one hand the girl unsheathes her sword and taps it against Buffy's arm in warning. Buffy still doesn't let go.

"Buffy…" Xander steps forward and freezes, trying not to make any sudden movements that would cause the, apparently unstable, girl to attack.

"We can protect you and help you figure out what is happening." Buffy ignores Xander as she stares at the sword.

"I don't need your protection. I've been trying to tell you…"

"Buffy?" A voice cuts off the girl wielding the sword, as a tallish teenaged girl with brown hair runs out of a dark building and comes over to them.

"Dawn, go back inside, NOW!" Buffy yells at Dawn without taking her eyes off of the girl's green ones.

The girl cuts Buffy's inner arm open with the sharp side of the blade and Buffy recoils. The girl with the sword pushes Buffy into Xander's arms and grabs Dawn.

"I told you to leave me alone!" The girl grips Dawn around the throat and holds the blade out towards Buffy and Xander. The girl blinks and looks around momentarily disoriented as if terribly pained. She regains composure quickly and disregards it.

"Okay. Okay. You don't have to hurt her." Buffy holds out her hand towards Dawn, reaching for her.

"Apparently, it takes very extreme measures to get you to back off…" The girl looks at Dawn momentarily before staring back at Buffy "Sister?"

"Yes." Buffy whispers breathlessly.

"Good."

The girl takes the blade and stabs Dawn through the shoulder. Dawn gasps as the sword is driven through her. Buffy and Xander's eyes widen as they watch Dawn fall.

"It isn't a fatal wound… next time you follow me, it might be." The girl turns on her heel and walks into the darkness.

Xander runs to Dawn, as Buffy stands frozen, staring after the girl. Buffy wants to run and attack her, but she knows that Dawn is the one who needs her help. She pulls out her cell phone and dials 911 and then joins Xander at Dawn's side.

"Stay awake, Dawn… stay with me." Buffy can hear Xander saying in the background.

At The Hospital

The LCD monitor beeps in the background and that is the only sound Buffy hears as she watches Dawn lying in a sterile, white hospital bed. Xander has gone to get coffee and Willow, who had joined them after finding Dawn's bed empty, is sitting beside her.

"This shouldn't have happened." Buffy mumbles as she runs her hands through her hair.

"I know, I'm so sorry, Buffy. I wasn't paying attention." Willow tears up again. She had been crying earlier.

"This isn't your fault, Will. I let this happen. I met this girl tonight on patrol. She was being attacked by some Demon Monks. It should have registered that something was wrong when she got free and killed them with serious, slayer precision. She told me to let her go, but I wouldn't." Buffy looks over at Dawn, who has been unconscious for about an hour. She lost a lot of blood, but the girl was right, the wound was not fatal.

"Do you think she is one of them, the Slayers?" Willow asks.

"I don't know. I can't be sure if she has super strength or any abnormal powers, but she was definitely a good fighter." Buffy looks away from Willow as Xander rejoins them in the room. He hands Buffy a coffee and sits down with a sandwich which he splits with Willow.

"Are we talking about crazy-sister-stabbing-sword-girl?" Xander asks bitterly as he takes a bite of his sandwich.

"Yeah…Why didn't I just let her go?" Buffy mumbles under her breath as she picks at the stitches in her arm.

"Buffy, it isn't your fault. You didn't know that that girl was going to go homicidal. You shouldn't blame yourself. You didn't let her stab your sister…"

"I just heard…" Kennedy appears at the door and walks into the room towards Willow. Kennedy sits beside Willow and holds her hand. She gives Willow's hand a loving squeeze. "What happened?" Kennedy asks looking at Dawn.

"Dawn got stabbe..." Xander cuts off as the door slams. He looks over at Buffy, but her seat is now vacant. Xander sighs and looks back at Kennedy. "Buffy is taking it really hard."

"I can see that. Should one of us go talk to her?" Willow asks watching Buffy's retreating back.

"No, let her cool down." Xander replies with a knowing look.

On the Streets

The dark-haired girl sits on the curb of a deserted alleyway staring at the young girl's blood on her sword blankly. The girl had been watching the blood drip to the ground when it was still wet. She drops the sword and cups her face in her hands miserably. The sword clatters loudly against the cobblestone street and the girl looks up suddenly remembering her headache from when she touched the girl, what was her name, Dawn, they called her.

The girl remembers the flashes. Were they memories? The future? The dark-haired girl saw a picture of Dawn, her sister, Buffy, and an older woman, but the image of Dawn fades in and out. She also remembers the mental picture of Dawn standing on the top of a tall metal construct, a bridge maybe, as Buffy dives off. These images hit the girl like a ton of bricks and keep flashing in front of her eyes.

She hears a door open and close up the alley and a man with platinum blonde, almost white hair walks by. He stops after he passes and looks back at her.

"Got a probl--" The girl cuts off as she hears movement from the rooftop. She looks up, squinting into the darkness. Grabbing the bloodied sword, the girl stands up, suddenly alert.

There is no time; she and the blonde guy are surrounded by seven or more of the demon monks.

"You guys never give up, do you?" The girl says with a smile. She looks at the man who is turning from her. "You should probably run about now."

"Don't think so, love." The guy, who is apparently British, replies with a crooked grin and attacks the demon to his right.

The girl watches for a moment and then snaps out of her daze and puts the sword to good use by stabbing two demons. She watches the blonde out of her peripheral vision, but decides not to ask questions. He slowly moves closer as he finishes off his last attacker.

"Duck!" He shouts urgently.

The girl listens and narrowly misses being stabbed in the back by a stray demon's dagger. The dark haired girl turns around and cuts his head off with a swift stroke of the sword. The alley is silent again and the girl looks around past the blonde guy. There should be another wave of demons coming soon. It would be safer to get off the streets.

"Let's go, we need to get out of the open." The girl grabs the guy's wrist to lead him out of the alley, random bits of his life flash before her eyes and he slips his arm out of her grip. The girl grabs her forehead in pain, but quickly recuperates.

"I'm not just going to follow you…" The man says stepping back.

"Spike, we don't have time for this." The girl replies with urgency.

"Why do we—Wait, how do you know my name?" Spike steps back in caution and frowns in skepticism.

"I don't have time for this… Stay here." The girl turns her back on Spike and runs out of the alley, sword in hand.

The dark-haired girl slows her run to a quick walk as she crosses the street and makes her way briskly from the scene. She sheathes the sword and tries to look as inconspicuous as one can while holding a sword. Ducking into an alley she makes her way towards an unlit stone building. She starts to open the door, but stops stepping away from it.

"Why are you following me?" The girl asks without turning to look at Spike, who is lurking in the darkness.

Spike steps out of the shadows and looks at the girl's back, waiting for her to turn towards him, but she doesn't. She simply repeats the question slowly.

"You. What are you?" Spike walks forward and looks at the girl.

The girl blinks, confused. She looks down at the sword and then back up at Spike, frowning.

"I guess, I'm a vampire of sorts. Like you." The girl turns towards Spike and looks him up and down finally taking a good look at him. He is unnaturally blonde, wearing all black with a leather duster. She smells blood. "You are wounded."

"What?" Spike looks down and sees the blood seeping through his dark shirt. A stream of it flows to the ground and forms a dark puddle. "Oh, bollocks."

"Come inside." The girl opens the door which leads into a hotel. The ceiling in the entry way is partially collapsed and water drips to the ground. The electricity is working in part of the hotel, but the area where part of the ceiling is missing is definitely out of commission and the smell of decay is overwhelming. Spike steps inside the door after the girl and closes it.

"You didn't get hurt fighting those demons. They didn't pose much of a threat…" The girl says before kicking open the door to the gift shop in the lobby and searching for a towel or maybe bandages. She looks up as she finds a first aid kit.

"Sit down." The girl says nodding towards a couch in the lobby. Spike says nothing. He just sits. "Take off your shirt." Spike takes off his leather jacket and removes his shirt. The girl takes some gauze and medical tape out of the kit and begins to bandage the wound. She notices large almost tribal tattoos covering his chest, but doesn't ask. She closes her eyes momentarily as images of his life flash before her.

"You received this wound in a war. Wolfram and Hart…" She whispers to herself. "But that was months ago. Why isn't it healed?"

"Don't know." Spike looks down as the girl finishes applying the bandage. Spike puts his shirt back on and leans back in the couch. "You live here, do you?"

"For now." The girl sits down on the floor, facing the couch that Spike occupies. She looks around the lobby.

"How do you know who I am?... and about Wolfram and Hart?" Spike regains focus after watching the girl for a few moments.

She looks at him. She opens her mouth to try to explain, but closes it before speaking. The girl tucks strands of her hair behind her ear and tries again, "I'm not sure. I saw things when I touched you. Your memories, maybe. People you know, places you've seen. I don't get whole memories, though, and I can't control them. I only see little clips."

The girl stands up and sits beside Spike on the couch. She reaches out and touches his cheek lightly. Spike, who is still on the defensive, leans away from her.

"William, a vampire with a soul. Hmm." She drops her hand to her side and nods to herself, noting his wariness of her. "You can stay here if you don't have anywhere to go. Pick a room." She walks towards the stairs and up to her room.

"Wait, I don't even--", Spike stops mid-sentence as the girl disappears up the staircase. Spike stares after her.

"My name is Alexa and I'm not evil. Just in case you were wondering" She calls, reappearing on the stairs.

"Oh, brilliant." Spike says as Alexa disappears again.


End file.
